Reviewing the brief with South Tyneside Council, it became apparent that precedent in this building typology was focused towards a well-worn path, struggling to maintain relevance in a digital world. We were challenged to explore what a library for the 21st century should look like, and what it should offer, at a time when information is consistently at our fingertips.
Our exploration determined that the physical environment was not solely to be a repository for books. We wanted to give each visitor the ability to express their own creativity, providing a gateway to cultural, social and entrepreneurial exploration. Most of all we wanted to capture the imagination of demographics not usually associated with this building type.
